"The State of Israel ... will ensure complete equality of social and political
rights of all its inhabitants irrespective of religion ... it will guarantee freedom
of religion and conscience." - May 1948)

Search results for tag " conversion"

Inching closer to the next "Who is a Jew" explosionWritten by Uri Regev on 24/05/2018This week, additional information leaked as to the nature of Moshe Nissim's recommendations regarding a new conversion bill. As our readers may remember, Moshe Nissim was appointed by PM Netanyahu to do damage control after Diaspora Jewry’s uproar last June when the government ceded to the demands of the ultra-Orthodox parties to pass a conversion bill aimed at preempting a pluralistic Supreme Court ruling in a pending case. This bill would further entrench the Orthodox monopoly over conversions performed in Israel.

The conversion draft bill is a land mine!Written by Uri Regev on 24/04/2018"The minefields of Israel's religion and state arena and Israel-Diaspora relations will explode in the coming days," Rabbi Uri Regev responded to reports about the upcoming legislative initiative on conversion, based on the recommendations of former minister Moshe Nissim.

Conversion compromise postponed - again.Written by Uri Regev on 19/12/2017Efforts to draft a compromise agreement between the Haredi political parties and the Reform and Conservative movements in Israel over the issue of Jewish conversion will not be finished before a six-month deadline arrives at the end of this month.

Labor Party Chairman: Accept Reform Conversions!Written by on 27/07/2017Newly elected Labor Party Chairman Avi Gabbay has come out strongly in favor of religious freedom on issues ranging from education, to public transportation on Shabbat, and to marriage & divorce. More recently, he's expressed support for the official state recognition of Reform conversions.

Two-thirds Israelis oppose government Kotel and Conversion decisionsWritten by on 29/06/2017These Hiddush survey findings prove how far the government has swerved away from the public will and the needs of the State of Israel. Instead, the government leaders
act as puppets whose strings are being pulled by the anti-Zionist, ultra-Orthodox political parties.

Two-thirds Israelis oppose government Kotel and Conversion decisionsWritten by on 29/06/2017These Hiddush survey findings prove how far the government has swerved away from the public will and the needs of the State of Israel. Instead, the government leaders
act as puppets whose strings are being pulled by the anti-Zionist, ultra-Orthodox political parties.

Politicians who degrade the Diaspora shouldn't seek support in its communitiesWritten by Uri Regev on 29/06/2017If you weren't on Mars this week, there is high likelihood that you are aware of the fierce storms engulfing Israel and world Jewry under the blazing summer sun. Every self-respecting Jewish organization issued a statement, and the language ranged from dismay to deplore, although most were lacking when it came to taking action.

Three battle fronts: The Kotel, Conversion, and ShabbatWritten by Uri Regev on 26/06/2017Israel's religion and state conflict is viewed as a key component of shaping Israel's path. Recent days have provided us with a good cross section of the scope, depth, motivations, impact, and potential consequences of this ongoing saga.

Don’t undermine Jewish unity - the State Conversion in Israel billWritten by Uri Regev on 01/06/2017Minister Arye Deri’s is obsessed with eradicating any state recognition of Reform and Conservative Judaism in Israel. Now he’s submitted the “State Conversion in Israel” bill, which would for the first time legislate the exclusive authority of the state-established rabbinic bodies over conversion.

Conversion bill to reject all conversions outside of Israel's RabbinateWritten by Uri Regev on 18/05/2017A measure submitted earlier this month by the Interior Ministry led by Rabbi Aryeh Deri, head of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, is a blatant effort to circumvent a March 2016 Supreme Court ruling that allowed those undergoing private Orthodox conversions in Israel to become citizens under the Law of Return.

An open letter to Natan SharanskyWritten by Uri Regev on 16/07/2016Mr. Sharansky, you praised the rabbinate for “connecting the Jewish state with Judaism.” Sadly, you are wrong, for the monopolistic and coercive rabbinate is alienating Israeli Jews from Judaism.

Rabbi Haskel Lookstein's degrading experienceWritten by Uri Regev on 30/06/2016If we needed any further reminder that the issue of "Who is a Jew" hits directly home in North America, the recent news regarding the refusal of the Israeli Rabbinic courts to accept Rabbi Haskel Lookstein's conversions is the most recent case in point.